


This Is Halloween

by mlea7675



Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gen, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Post Bartlett Administration, Santos Administration
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:00:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27390859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mlea7675/pseuds/mlea7675
Summary: In two different administrations, the Senior Staff dresses up for a Halloween party-with predictable results.
Relationships: Danny Concannon/C. J. Cregg, Josh Lyman/Donna Moss
Comments: 3
Kudos: 32





	This Is Halloween

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Here’s a little one-shot I dreamed up last weekend! I know I’m a few days late, but I couldn’t resist writing some Halloween fluff. Just for reference, the Bartlet Administration section is set shortly before “The Crackpots and These Women”. Hope you enjoy, please read and review!

Bartlet Administration, 1999:

It was the night before Halloween in the White House, and excitement was high. While the President and First Lady attended a costume party in their honor thrown by the Democratic National Committee, the Senior Staff of the West Wing would host their own party in the White House.

Leo had told the Staff that they could dress up if they wanted to, but under no circumstances was he dressing up. No matter how hard Margaret tried to convince him.

“Leo, I just think you would look great as a gladiator!” Margaret was holding up a costume that Leo could only imagine on a lunatic, or maybe a much-younger man. Maybe he could pawn it off on Toby. He couldn’t even figure out why he was going to this thing anyway.

“Margaret! I’m not getting dressed up. Especially in that getup!” He said sharply, gesturing to the gladiator knight costume that she held in her arms. “And who are you supposed to be?”

“Rosie the Riveter.” Margaret said as if it was perfectly obvious. She was wearing a denim shirt, jeans, and a red bandanna. It was the perfect costume for her, she reasoned.

“Oh.” Leo responded. He stood up, grumbling. “Why am I going to this party, anyway?”

“It’s a staff get-together, and you don’t have to go the whole time. You just have to put in an appearance.”

“All right. But I am not, under any circumstances, getting dressed up in some medieval getup that would look ridiculous on a guy half my age!”

Margaret looked disappointed. “The costume’s gonna go to waste.”

“Give it to Toby!” If he wasn’t going to have any fun at this party, the least he could do was glean some pleasure out of it from watching his staff suffer.

“He already has a costume.”

“He does? What?”

“Let’s just say he lost a bet with Sam.”

…

Meanwhile, over in the Communications Bullpen, CJ was also muttering, “Why me?” Literally.

“How did I get stuck with the ridiculous superhero costume?” CJ asked while walking out of her office in her costume: Wonder Woman, complete with the low-cut, one-piece red shirt and blue skirt, gold headband, and gold wristbands.

Carol, dressed as Buttercup from _The Princess Bride_ , grinned at her boss. “Guess you drew the short stick.”

“I look ridiculous.”

“Actually, I think you look great.” said a voice from behind.

CJ jumped a mile and whirled around, only to be greeted by Danny Concannon, who snapped a photo.

“Danny, don’t you dare show that picture to anyone! And what are you even doing back here?”

“I thought I would sneak a peek at what you’re wearing for Halloween.”

“Press aren’t invited to the staff party. I thought I made that perfectly clear in the briefing room.”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t go as your date.” He was flirting with her shamelessly, and CJ knew it. Carol took the opportunity to excuse herself.

CJ blinked. “You’re not even dressed up. And you can’t go as my date.”

“Yes, I am. And why not?”

“Because it’s improper and will raise too much suspicion.”

“All right, I won’t go.” Danny conceded.

“What are you supposed to be, anyway?”

“A Newsie.”

“A what?”

“You know, one of those newsboys from the 19th century.” Sure enough, Danny was dressed in a white shirt, brown vest, brown cap, and had a bag full of newspapers over his shoulder.

CJ started laughing. “You are something else.”

“Yes, I am, and you love me for it.”

“Still not going to the party.” And with that, CJ breezed past Danny, leaving him standing in the bullpen watching her leave.

Just then, a roaring laugh made her turn around, and she began giggling. Standing in the doorway of Toby’s office was George Washington. Sam, dressed much more appealingly as Batman, was laughing his head off, and CJ could see Bonnie and Ginger, as cheerleaders, out of the corner of her eye trying hard to contain their laughter.

“Don’t. Say. A Word.” Toby grumbled.

“I wasn’t going to.” CJ said. “It looks very...presidential.”

“You can thank Sam.”

“What did Sam do?”

“I bet him that he couldn’t guess what the President and First Lady were wearing to their costume party tonight. And if he lost, he had to dress up in a costume of my choice. And if I lost, well...” Toby gestured to his outfit.

“And I guessed-correctly-that they would be dressed as people from the ‘20s. And I was correct, as I found out in Senior Staff this morning.” Sam jumped in.

CJ just shook her head. “So, Toby had to follow through on his word.”

“Yes, I did. Can we just get this party over with, please?”

…

“DONNA!”

“How many times have I told you not to shout?”

“Come on, we’re gonna be late.” Josh walked out of his office wearing a New York Mets costume, specifically honoring his favorite player, Mike Piazza.

Donna looked him up and down. “So, you’re…”

“What? I had to find a costume, I knew I already had the jersey, so...here I am.” He suddenly noticed Donna’s outfit. “Hey, you look good!” She was wearing a yellow skirt, white blouse, and yellow sweater.

“Thank you.” Donna replied. “Now can we get to the party?”

“You seem overeager.” Josh replied. “Place any bets on costumes I should know about?”

“No. I just want to see what everybody else is wearing before they get too self-conscious about it. And I want people to see if they know my costume.”

“Donna, I don’t even know what your costume is supposed to be.”

She looked at him. “Seriously? From _Grease_?”

The lightbulb went on in his head. “You’re supposed to be Sandra Dee?”

“No! I’m Sandy, before she changes into a T-bird.”

“Oh. Is it just me, or is that movie really sexist?”

“No, you’re not the only one who thinks that. But that doesn’t stop people from watching it.”

Josh reflected on that as they continued their walk towards the Roosevelt Room. But more than that, he reflected that Donna looked really appealing in that outfit.

An hour later, the Roosevelt Room was crowded with staffers. Punch and Halloween candy were out on the table, while Josh pulled his CD player from his office to play spooky Halloween music. Toby eventually made small talk with Ed and Larry, who were dressed as a deck of cards. The assistants all compared costumes, while Sam, Josh, and CJ were in a conversation. However, the person who won the night was Charlie, who came to the party dressed in an intricate Sherlock Holmes costume. Even Leo eventually walked in, though he didn’t wear a costume.

Just then, all conversation ceased as the President and Abbey walked in. True to Sam’s word, they were dressed up as a dapper man of the 1920s and a flapper.

“We won’t take up too much of your time, I’m sure you’re all enjoying yourselves.” Jed called out. “I just wanted to say that I’m glad we’ve all found enough of a camaraderie amongst each other that we all feel comfortable stepping out of our comfort zone, whether it’s as George Washington,” he nodded at Toby, “or as Wonder Woman.” He nodded at CJ, who stood back self-consciously. “Does anybody know the reason we wear costumes on Halloween?”

Everyone held back a groan, but Donna gamely spoke up. “The Celts started it to ward off evil spirits, right, sir?”

“That’s right, Donna. Very good.” Jed praised, before continuing. “You know, we’re ten months into this administration, and I think we’re doing pretty well, considering. I hope we have celebrations like this for many years to come. Have a good evening, everyone.”

“Thank you, Mr. President.” everyone chorused, and the party lightened back up.

The President was right. This would be the first of many celebrations to come in the Bartlet Administration.

…

Santos Administration, 2008:

Unlike the Bartlet Administration, the Santos Administration made a much bigger deal out of Halloween, mainly because there were young children in the White House. There was always a Halloween party every year in the East Room, and the whole staff attended.

The second year of the administration was a memorable one for Josh and Donna. They had celebrated their first anniversary and welcomed twins, all in the same summer. Now, it was time for the twins’ first Halloween, and Donna had the perfect outfits for them.

“Tweedledee and Tweedledum?” Josh said, chuckling as he caught sight of his daughters’ costumes. “If nobody knew they were twins before, they’re gonna know now.”

“I thought they were cute.” Donna said, defending herself.

“Donna, sweetheart, relax. I wasn’t criticizing you. I just think that’s really cute.”

“Cute, but overdone?”

“Maybe.”

“Well, it goes well with our costumes.”

“Oh, okay.” Then, something hit him. “OUR costumes?” He groaned. “Donna, do you want anyone in Washington to take me seriously?”

“Oh, come on, Josh. It’ll be a good memory for the kids.”

“They’re three months old, they’re not gonna remember this.”

“Well, then, I want to remember it. It’s their first Halloween, Josh, I want it to be special. Besides…” Then, she dropped the bomb. “President’s orders.”

Josh laughed, sputtering. “I thought he was kidding!”

“He said, and I quote, ‘ If I could endure looking ridiculous for a night for my kids’ sake, so can you.’”  
Josh groaned. He knew his wife was right. “All right. For you, for the President, I’ll suck it up.” He kissed her. “So...what are OUR costumes?”

“They’re hanging in the closet. Go see for yourself.” Josh walked past her. And as Donna was putting the finishing touches on the girls’ outfits, she heard an unmistakable groan from the closet. She tried to stifle her giggles.

“Donna!”

…

Josh, Donna, and the twins walked into the Residence dressed for the occasion. Matt Santos took one look at his Chief of Staff and laughed out loud. “You gonna start talking in riddles now?”

“It was her idea, not mine!” Josh said, gesturing to his Mad Hatter costume, and then jerking his thumb at his wife, who looked very prim and proper in her Alice in Wonderland costume.

“Yes, but you agreed to it.” Donna shot back, bouncing their daughter Anna on her hip.

“Hey, listen, I had to endure being fitted into a Peter Pan costume by my wife, while my kids looked on and critiqued every little part of it. I think you can endure being the Mad Hatter for a few hours.”

“But I’m nothing like the Mad Hatter!” Josh protested.

Just then, Helen walked in, all decked out as Wendy. “Oh, you all look great! I have to grab my camera!” She pulled a Polaroid off the mantle and snapped a few pics of the Lyman family.

The kids came in next, dressed as Captain Hook and Tinker Bell, respectively. Miranda squealed over the matching Tweedledee and Tweedledum costumes, while Peter tugged at his collar.

“I’m too old to dress up.” He complained to his mother.

“Not for this you’re not.” Helen replied. “Come on, let’s get downstairs.”

…

The party ended up being a wild success. The kids, along with the children who had been invited, ran around to see how much candy they could eat. There was a candy-apple-making station, and an apple-bobbing game. The twins were a huge hit, garnering compliments from all the staffers. Sure enough, all of the Senior Staff came dressed up.

The first people Josh saw were Sam and Ainsley. “Hey, guys! Nice getup!” They were dressed as Uncle Sam and the Statue of Liberty, respectively.

“I told Ainsley that if I was doing this, I was doing it my way. Cool, huh?” Sam replied.

“Nice.” Josh grinned. He only wished he had his best friend’s persuasive powers to use on his wife.

Meanwhile, Donna, with Anna on her hip, was chatting with Annabeth and Carolina, her DCOS, who were dressed as a witch and Glinda the Good Witch. Annabeth was eyeing Carolina’s costume with awe.

“You know, I played Glinda in high school.” Annabeth said.

“Really, Annabeth?” Donna replied.

“Yeah, I used to be quite a theatre gal.”

Just then Lou joined the conversation. “Well, if isn’t Alice in Wonderland, Glinda, and...the Wicked Witch?” she said, pointing to Annabeth.

“Close enough.” Annabeth replied.

“Did you see Edie’s costume?” Lou asked, pointing out the Deputy Communications Director, who was dressed as one of the Pink Ladies from Grease. Lou herself was a Wild West-inspired cowgirl.

“I saw Bram earlier.” Carolina said after they oohed and aahed over Edie’s costume. “A NASCAR driver really suits him.”

“This is turning out to be a really fun night.” Donna said, watching as Ronna (dressed as Mary Poppins) and Edie approached.

“Hey, you guys.” Ronna spoke up. “Donna, the twins are so adorable! They’re the hit of the party!”

“I’m glad you think so.” Donna replied. Just then, she felt an arm around her shoulder, and looked up to find Josh and Abby next to her. The twins babbled to each other.

Josh kissed her temple and took in the relaxed atmosphere of the party. “Happy Halloween, Donna.”

“Happy Halloween, Josh.” Donna said, kissing him as their first Halloween as parents drew to a close.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hope you enjoyed this one-shot! I just wanted to write something fun for people to read. Let me know what you thought!


End file.
